Roundabout Chair
Furniture MakerMade by
Unknown
Date1740-1780
MediumMaple, rush
DimensionsPrimary Dimensions (overall height x width x depth): 30 15/16 x 29 1/8 x 26 1/2in. (78.6 x 74 x 67.3cm)
ClassificationsFurniture
Credit LineGift of Dr. and Mrs. Howard Bulkeley Haylett
Object number1957.12.2
DescriptionMaple roundabout chair in the William and Mary, or early Baroque, style, with a semi-circular crest and arm rails, turned stiles, legs, and stretchers, and a square rush seat. The back of the chair is formed by a flat crest rail with a tapered, undulating end at each side, atop a thick, semi-circular arm rail with a flat, scrolled handhold at each end. This is supported at the sides and back of the chair by three stiles turned with baluster, cylinder and ring forms over a cylindrical foot. The rush seat is square, and is supported by the three stiles at the sides and back and by a leg at the front. The front leg has a flat top that extends slightly higher than the seat. It is turned with baluster, cylinder and ring forms over a cylindrical foot. The two front sides of the chair have a single stretcher connecting the legs, while the two back sides of the chair each have two stretchers. Each stretcher is turned with a double-baluster form. The frame has an overall reddish-brown stain.
Condition: The reddish-brown stain is original. The finish is completely worn away on arts of the crest rail and arm rail. The finish on the front leg and lower side stiles is well worn and scratched. At one time, nails were inserted to secure the joint where the front stretchers meet the stiles and front leg; the nails have since been removed. The rush is replaced.
Design and Construction Details: The crest rail is constructed of a single piece of wood. The flat arm rail is constructed is constructed in two curved sections that are joined in the center with an extended lap joint. The crest rail and arm rail are joined with multiple wooden pins through the top and the underside of the crest and arm rail. The crest and arm rails are supported on round tenons at the top of the three stiles; the tenon at each end of the arm rail is secured with a wooden pin. The seat rails are probably bladelike, with a rounded outer edge and a tapered inner edge; these are tenoned into the stiles and the top of the front leg. The hole in the stile that receives the tenon for the front left seat rail extends completely through the stile; the seat rail does not. The stretchers are tenoned into the stiles and front leg.
NotesSubject Note: Roundabout chairs, or corner chairs, can be found in Connecticut inventories as early as 1705, when Israel Chauncey's estate was assessed in Stratford. They were made by urban craftsmen up to the time of the Revolution, and continued to be produced by rural chairmakers into the nineteenth century. At times, roundabout chairs were produced en suite with larger groups of furniture, or they were made in pairs. The precise function of roundabout chairs has not been determined. Due to their form, they were well suited for use as desk or writing chairs. Roundabout chairs may have also served as library chairs, as suggested by a portrait of John Bours by John Singleton Copley (1738-1815) in the Worcester Art Museum (1908.7). The portrait shows John Bours seated in a roundabout chair with a book in his hand. (Hunt 3/30/2006)Condition: The reddish-brown stain is original. The finish is completely worn away on arts of the crest rail and arm rail. The finish on the front leg and lower side stiles is well worn and scratched. At one time, nails were inserted to secure the joint where the front stretchers meet the stiles and front leg; the nails have since been removed. The rush is replaced.
Design and Construction Details: The crest rail is constructed of a single piece of wood. The flat arm rail is constructed is constructed in two curved sections that are joined in the center with an extended lap joint. The crest rail and arm rail are joined with multiple wooden pins through the top and the underside of the crest and arm rail. The crest and arm rails are supported on round tenons at the top of the three stiles; the tenon at each end of the arm rail is secured with a wooden pin. The seat rails are probably bladelike, with a rounded outer edge and a tapered inner edge; these are tenoned into the stiles and the top of the front leg. The hole in the stile that receives the tenon for the front left seat rail extends completely through the stile; the seat rail does not. The stretchers are tenoned into the stiles and front leg.
Status
Not on view
